Coaching leadership is experienced through both subjective perceptions and observable actions, but these sources do not represent equivalent constructs. This descriptive multi-case study examined coach–athlete perceptual alignment and match-observed behaviors in four elite youth soccer coach–team cases. Four male youth soccer coaches and 64 male athletes (14–18 years) from a single Romanian elite soccer academy participated in the study. Athletes completed the Multidimensional Scale of Leadership in Sport (MSLS) before and after an official match; each coach completed one post-match self-rating referring to that match. Each coach was compared only with his corresponding team’s post-match mean. Dimension-specific discrepancy scores and a mean absolute discrepancy (MAD) index were calculated. Pre–post comparisons used Wilcoxon signed-rank tests with Holm correction. One match per coach was coded descriptively using the Coach Analysis and Intervention System (CAIS). The MAD index was lowest for the U17 case (1.93) and highest for the U18 case (4.35). After Holm correction, post-match scores were lower for Inspiration, Individualization, and Support. Instruction was highly rated in the MSLS and was the most frequent CAIS category in all four matches (25.2–41.6%), representing a parallel descriptive pattern rather than formal agreement. The findings are specific to four coach–team cases and provide complementary, preliminary perspectives on perceived and match-observed leadership. The single-match, single-observer design and absence of observational reliability assessment preclude characterization of habitual coaching behavior.

Leadership in sport, especially at the children’s and junior levels, involves a complex process of influencing attitudes, emotions, and relationships within a team. This study aims to investigate differences in perception between coaches and players from different countries to determine the extent to which cultural and national environments influence perceptions of coaches’ leadership behavior. We used the Multidimensional Scale of Leadership in Sport (MSLS) to compare players’ perceptions of their coach’s behavior before and after competition, to find differences determined by competitive experience and cultural context. 82 players and 4 head coaches participated. The data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test, followed by Dunn-Bonferroni post-hoc tests. The results highlighted significant intercultural differences across nine dimensions of leadership: vision, inspiration, instruction, individualization, support, positive and negative feedback, active management, and passive management. Coaches in Romania and Ireland were evaluated more positively regarding supportive and transformational behaviors, while the Montenegro coach exhibited a more authoritarian style. The conclusions suggest that cultural values influence how young athletes perceive their coaches’ leadership behaviors, highlighting the importance of critical reflection and cultural adaptability in football. Article history: Received 2025 December 03; Revised 2026 January 30; Accepted 2026 February 05; Available online 2026 March 30; Available print 2026 April 30. AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONSAll authors contributed to the design, data collection, statistical analysis, and writing of the manuscript. All authors approved the final version of the paper. ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThe authors would like to thank all participating players, coaches, and national federations for their collaboration and support. CONFLICT OF INTERESTThe authors report there are no competing interests to declare.